Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Although I seldom read books because they're best sellers I just finished reading The Shack. If not for the foreword I might not have kept reading through the next 15 pages describing an idyllic family life and beautiful scenery, but when the action finally started it was gripping. The book is an excellent example of compassionate communication and the author (or authors?) manage to include deep theological information naturally through the action and dialogue. I found the book inspiring and can certainly understand why it's selling so well. If you haven't read it yet and would like to learn more, try this URL: www.theshackbook.com.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

The other day I read an article in a magazine at a doctor's office about how to keep from being a victim of bullies. The article was in the September edition of Wondertime and can be found at their website, http://wondertime.go.com. It refers to a book called Bullies to Buddies by Izzy Kalman.

Basically the information says bullying is a game that's won by getting the target person upset, and the best way to avoid being bullied is by not getting angry or scared.

I know the method works because of some personal experiences, including one in my childhood. I was the class victim and a total coward, but one day I did something brave. A neighborhood bully had knocked me down on the sidewalk and was sitting on my chest, ready to punch me in the face. Nobody else was around, so I had no hope, but for some reason I calmly explained that she was unpopular because she was a bully and kids would like her better if she stopped hurting them. She got up, left me alone, and never bothered me again. She moved away soon afterwards so I don't know if she ever took my advice.

I suggest that anyone who works with kids, has kids, or is victimized by bullies check out the article mentioned above or go to Kalman's website, www.bullies2buddies.com.

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ABOUT ME

Author Janet Ann Collins has been a columnist for the Antique Explorer, a freelance feature writer for a newspaper in the San Francisco Bay Area and her work has appeared in many other publications and she is the author of books for kids. As a teacher, she enjoys public speaking. Collins and her husband raised three foster sons with special needs in addition to their birth daughter and are now grandparents.

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